285. Important archive of letters (some original, most in contemporary facsimile) relating to the Arab Revolt (1916-1918), once in the custody of Ameen Al Rihani and Abdel Rahman Azzam, comprising:
i) Fouad Hamza, autograph letter in Arabic, signed, to Ameen Al Rihani, “Just to let you know that these letters are very important, and I am asking you to take care of them because there are no other copies. Since 1916 they have been in the hands of the deceased martyr Ali Saleem, who was killed in Akabah for possessing them. His son Mohamed Ali Salem presented them to his highness King Abdel Aziz after many attempts by the Hashemites, especially King Abdullah bin Hussein, to get hold of them. Therefore I beg you to take care of them and all the other letters in your possession until you finish your book, and let nobody have access to or copy them. I would also bring to your attention the fact that every letter is stamped with the seal of Ali Salem, the martyr Director of Intelligence, as we do not have any other copies or translations.
I would also mention that Mr.Abdel Rahman Azzam has asked his highness the King not to publish them for the time being.
Please return them to Mr. Abdel Rahman Azzam as soon as you can having extracted whatever material you need, and he will then deliver them to his highness the King.
I would also ask you not to publish your book without first presenting it to the King for his authorisation.”
Although undated, it is clear from the royal title of King (Emir of Transjordan and then King of Jordan from 1921-1951) given to Abdallah, son of King Hussein (King of Hegaz 1916-1924), that this letter can be dated to c.1922, when the British, satisfied with Abdallah’s move (i.e. the seizure of Transjordan) hastened to recognise him as Emir. This date is also confirmed by the publication of Rihani’s book Moulouk Al Arab [Kings of the Arabs], in 1924.
ii) 7 facsimiles of letters to Lord Allenby [Mr. Lord Al Himbbey] from Sharif Husayn b.Ali [Al Sharieff Hussein] transcribed into (rather poor) English
iii) 3 similar facsimiles of letters to Sir Arthur Hirtzel [Mr.Wisest Hertizel] from Sharif Husayn b.Ali
iv) 6 similar facsimiles of letters to Lord Cromer [Lord Krumen] from Sharif Husayn b.Ali, in one referring to the political situation in Egypt, stating that Egypt should embrace the true and pure religion through the Imam at the Azhar mosque (the Sunni doctrine), and advising Cromer how to treat the young Khedive Abbas Hilmy II (1874-1944).
all of the above with stamp and signature of Ali Salem in top right corner to verso
v) 5 autograph letters (of which 3 are in facsimile) in Arabic, one to Al Sheikh Mohamed Abdou from Al Amir Abdel Aziz bin Mut’ab Al Rashid, with various official stamps, 2 to Mohsen Pasha, Wali Basrah from Ibna’Al Rashid and I’marat Al Rashid mentioning the case of the Shah of Iran (“a matter we should not approach at present, but you are aware of the cessation of their attacks, in words as well as in action”), and 2 to Sheikh Aboul Huda Al Sayadi from Al Amir Mohamed bin Al Rashid Amir Ha’il, mentioning that Gamal al-Din Al Afghani is plotting to kill Nasser el Din Shah and is secretly attacking the Sultan Abdel Hamid of the Sublime Porte, and also stating that the Al Rashid have scattered their enemies among the Al-Sa’ud and mentioning a go-between (Jarih), a dental surgeon from Basrah, who is his friend.
vi) 2 original transcriptions in English of letters to Lord Allenby from Sharif Husayn b.Ali, the first headed “V. Urgent, Expedite Letter” referring to Lawrence, Faisal and Auda Abu Tayeh, Sheikh of Howeitat, the brave Bedui raider, and Husayn’s “demands of weapons or money” and attacks on Al Akaba; the second headed “Highly Confidential” referring to Dr.Chaim Weismann [“Hayeem Wiesman”] and asking “What further proof of sincerity of my side more than allying with you in fighting the Muslim Turkish”.
vii) 12 facsimiles of transcribed letters, 6 to Sir Henry McMahon and 6 to Sir Arthur Hirtzel [Wisest Mr.Hirtizel] from Sharif Husayn b.Ali, mentioning the Idrisis of Asir (a territory lying between the Higaz and the Yemen).
viii) group of 9 facsimiles of letters in Arabic all with various official stamps, to Al Amiralay Hassan Shoukry Pasha (commander of the Turkish forces) from Al Amir Mohamed bin Al Rashid asking for arms, emphasising their allegiance to the Ottomans and their mutual and common interests; to Moustafa Riyad Pasha from Al Amir Abdel Aziz bin Mut’ab, stating his support and praising Pasha’s knowledge of events and his political acumen; to Al Sayed Abou Al Huda Al Sayadi (councellor to the Ottoman Sultan) from Al Amir Mohamed bin Al Rashid informing him that the money which comes to the Al Sa’ud originates from Jamal Al Din Al Afghani who acts like a viper in the region, is behind every calamity and manipulates people like a magician, playing the minds of the Persians so that they see no one but him; and to Osman Pasha Refqi, Al Sheikh Gasem [El Thani, ruler of Qatar] and Al Sheikh Mohamad Al Sabbah also from Al Rashid.
ix) 14 similar facsimiles of letters in Arabic to Mohsen Pasha, Wali of Basrah from Al Amir Mohamed bin Al Rashid, asking for clarification regarding the relationship between the Sultan and the Sublime Porte with Moubarak Al Sabah, mentioning the cover-up of the butchery of the sons of Al Khalifa; to Mohamed Pasha again discussing the traitor Moubarak “we will not divulge the source of our weapons and only wish to enter Kuwait to dislodge this traitor”, frequently requesting arms; to Al Sheikh Khaza’l (Emir of Arabistan) complaining of the treachery of Al Sabah of Kuwait and stating that it is a betrayal of Islam to ally himself with the enemies of religion and its likely negative effects, and expressing astonishment at his support of Moubarak and referring again to the killing of Sheikh Hamoud; and to Tawfiq Pasha also referring to Moubarak and the murder of Sheikh Hamoud, all with various official stamps and seals
x) 7 facsimiles of letters to Al Akh Al Sherif Nasser Al Moukarram from Abdel Aziz Ibn Abdel Rahman Al Faisal
xi) collection of facsimiles of letters from Abdel Aziz Ibn Abdel Rahman Al Faisal to Al Sheikh Faz’al (2); to Al Sheikh Gassem Al Moukaram Hakem Qatar (6), in one of which Faisal states that he would be ready for a reconciliation with Ibn Rashid for the sake of the peninsula; to Al Moukaram Al Sheikh Moubarak Al Sabek (4); from Al Sherif Nasser to Akhi Al Habib Abdel Aziz (7); and from Mohamed Abdel Wahab (the Nagdi reformer) to various recipients (12, plus 4 rolls); and an autograph letter to Al Amir Feisal from Abdel Rahman Al Tabishi (Saudi ambassador to Tehran) relating to a request for information on the Kiswah by a representative of the Palace, most with official stamps, including that of Fawzan Al Sabeq, the Saudi Arabian Minister in Cairo up to 1953 (103)
est. £10000 – £15000
An extremely rare collection of secret documents which shed fascinating light on the intrigues and power-struggles which characterised the history of the middle east up to the Arab Revolt and the subsequent conflict between the Hashemite rulers and King Abd’ul Aziz Ibn Abd’ur- Rahman Al Faisal Al Sa’oud, who consolidated most of the unity of the Arabian peninsula by 1932.
The majority of the documents (or their originals?), particularly those stamped by Aly Salem (Head of the Secret Service at the time, and who was killed in Akabah for having them in his possession), were entrusted to three important advisors to King Abdel Aziz Al Saud: Sheikh Fouad Hamza, a druse from the Lebanon who served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ameen Al Rihani (1876-1940), a Lebanese/American traveller and author who used some of the material in these documents in his historical, political and travel books (Kofi Anan, UN Secretary General recognised Al Rihani’s importance in 2000 “one of the earliest Arab Americans, [he] devoted his life to bringing the East and the West together”); and Abdel Rahman Azzam (1893-1976), an Egyptian national who studied medicine in London, married the daughter of a Libyan resistance leader but is best remembered as the Arab League’s first secretary general (1945-52). Azzam Pasha met the Saudi King on several occasions and their friendship was sealed by the marriage of his daughter to the eldest son of the late King Faisal (thus explaining the power and position of trust he held, ref. the initial letter in this collection, quoted above).
The crude translation into English suggests a local Arab interpreter (whose first language was Arabic) rather than an English scribe. Although the initial letter from Hamza suggests there are no other copies, it is not known whether that refers to this particular group (unlikely) or the originals, and if the latter, how many facsimiles were then produced.
The author of the first set of documents (those written in English) was Hussein ibn Ali (d.1931), Sherif and Emir of Mecca 1908-17, who also declared himself King of the Hegaz and of All Arabs (Malik bilad Al Arab). The recipients include Edmund, Lord Allenby (1861-1936), High Commissioner of Egypt and the Sudan after the outbreak of the 1919 revolution; Sir Arthur Hirtzel (1870-1937), Secretary of State, Director of the Political and Secret Dept., India Office, London 1909-17; Sir Henry McMahon (1862-1940) British High Commissioner of Egypt (1914-16); and 1st Earl Cromer, British agent and Consul General in Cairo 1883-1907, and de facto Governor of Egypt at that time.
The second set of documents (written in Arabic) relate to the house of Al Rashid in Ha’il at the time of Al Amir Abdel Aziz bin Mut’ab (who died in 1906) and Al Amir Mohamed bin Rashid Amir Ha’il (who surrendered to the Saudis in 1921). There has been a tendency to attribute the development of Beit (the house of) Al Rashid and the hegemony of their Amirs, to trading and commercial expansion but these documents emphasise the significance of external pressures, their interaction with foreign governments and leaders, ottoman personalities of the Sublime Porte as well as some of the religious figures mentioned in the documents (e.g. Mohamed Abduh, Jamal el Din Al Afghani, Princess Nazli Fadel, Muhsin Pasha, Sheikh Abu’l Huda Al Sayyadi, Hassan Shukri Pasha, Sheikh Khaza’l, Sherif Nasser of Medina etc.). The decline of the dynasty, with no fixed pattern of succession “where assassination became more or less the style” (Al Rasheed Madawi Politics in an Arabian Oasis , p.232), could be attributed to their tribality which failed to invoke a religious ideology (unlike the Saudi dynasties). The bedu were obsessively clannish; the Hashemites were fighting largely for family patrimony and, despite Lawrence’s uncompromising vision, they did not encompass the single Arab state Hussein had demanded from McMahon in 1916. Britain pledged (through what became known as the Hussein/McMahon correspondence) to support Arab independence and Hussein’s revolt against the Turks, but Kng Hussein, who had conspired from his youth to create an independent Hegaz, was driven from his own country in 1924 by “Imam” Abdel Aziz ibn Sa’ud, the desert puritan who was the real victor of the Arab Revolt.